00:00If your headphones sound flat, thin, or just, kind of boring, I've got news for you, it's probably not your
00:05headphones.
00:06It's whatever's feeding them.
00:09I spent way too long digging through DACs and headphone amps this month, and I found 5 that genuinely punch
00:14above their price, from under 10 bucks to full desktop hi-fi.
00:18Let's get into it.
00:20First up, the Iyema DAC A7.
00:23This little box runs the ES9038Q2M chip, that's a serious DAC chip you'd normally find in gear costing twice as
00:29much, and it's got Bluetooth 5.4 built-in, so you can stream from your phone without touching a cable.
00:35It's about $99, nearly 5,000 units sold, and a 4.8 rating.
00:41If you want one tidy box that handles your computer, your turntable setup, and your phone, this is the sweet
00:46spot.
00:47Now if your budget is tighter, look at the Iyema DAC A2.
00:52$36.
00:54That's it.
00:55And you're still getting coaxial and optical outputs, a headphone jack, and clean stereo output for active speakers.
01:02Honestly, this is the one I recommend to friends who just bought their first decent pair of headphones and don't
01:07want to drop rent money on an amp.
01:10Almost 5,000 sold, 4.8 stars, people clearly agree.
01:15Stepping up to the serious stuff, the Foci Audio ZH3.
01:19This one uses the AKM4493 ACQ chip and it's fully balanced, which basically means better separation, a wider soundstage, and
01:27way more headroom for hungry planer headphones.
01:30It's got a remote, a 12-volt trigger input, and it doubles as a preamp.
01:35At 190, it's the priciest here, but it's also the highest rated at 4.9.
01:40If you're building a real desktop rig, this is your end-game piece.
01:45The Duk Audio DAC Q11 does something clever, it packs both the ESS9038Q2M and the AK4493 chips, so you can
01:53actually switch between two different sound signatures.
01:56The ESS is sharp and detailed, the AKM is warmer and smoother.
02:01It handles DSD256, has coax and optical in, and runs about 156.
02:07For anyone who's picky about tonality and likes to tweak, this is the most fun box on the list.
02:13And last, the QKZ-TC Max Pro.
02:18$8.8
02:20It's a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle with the CX31993 chip inside, doing 32-bit, 384kHz, and it will
02:29absolutely embarrass whatever adapter came in your phone box.
02:32Throw it in your bag, plug into your laptop or phone, and your IEMs suddenly wake up.
02:38If you only buy one thing from this video, honestly, make it this, it's a no-brainer.
02:43All the links are down in the description, and I've checked for the current best prices on each one.
02:49If this helped you out, hit that like button and subscribe I've got more AudioGear breakdowns coming.
02:55Thanks for watching, and I'll catch you in the next one.
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